Africa Asia Middle East عربي Français free subscription IRIN Site Map RSS find PlusNews on facebook follow PlusNews on twitter
PlusNews
Global HIV/AIDS news and analysis
Advanced search
 Sunday 19 December 2010
 
Home 
Africa 
Blog 
Weekly reports 
In-Depth reports 
Country profiles 
Fact files 
Events 
Most read 
 
Print report Share |
KENYA: Mother-baby packs to reduce HIV transmission


Photo: UN/Eric Kanalstein
Women can use the mother-baby packs at home to reduce their transmission risk
KISUMU, 29 October 2010 (PlusNews) - A new, easy-to-use pack for pregnant, HIV-positive women could significantly reduce rates of mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT) in Kenya.

The "mother-baby pack" contains antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and antibiotics that women can easily administer themselves at home to reduce the risk of infecting their babies and is colour-coded to make it easy to use even for illiterate mothers; each colour shows which drugs are to be taken during pregnancy, during labour and after delivery.

The packs form part of the "Maisha MTCT-free Zone Initiative", launched in the western city of Kisumu by the Kenyan government and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), which aims to eliminate paediatric HIV from the country by 2015.

"This initiative has the potential to save many lives and I believe it is [an important] component towards the realization of our goal," Anthony Lake, UNICEF executive director, said at the launch on 29 October.

Health workers will distribute the mother-baby packs to pregnant women living with HIV who do not yet need ARV treatment for their own health. It is hoped the programme will reach HIV-positive pregnant women who might not return to the clinic following an initial diagnosis.

The packs will be available at antenatal clinics in four districts in the western provinces of Nyanza and Rift Valley with the aim of virtually eliminating paediatric HIV from both provinces by 2013; the two provinces account for about 50 percent of all children living with HIV/AIDS nationally.

Currently 4,000 out of 4,500 antenatal clinics in Kenya provide HIV treatment for mothers and children. While many mothers make at least one antenatal visit during their pregnancy, most do not have their babies at hospitals and clinics.

"In Nyanza, 92 percent of HIV-positive pregnant women know their HIV status but only 24 percent deliver in health facilities," said Ojuang Lusi, director of medical services in Nyanza Province.

An estimated 22,000 Kenyan children are infected with HIV annually through mother-to-child transmission. The country has around 81,000 pregnant women living with HIV; according to UNICEF, 72 percent of them received ARVs for PMTCT in 2009.

"We must strengthen other components like reproductive health and also give women a reason to deliver in health facilities for good outcomes," Lusi added.

Lessons from southern Africa

The mother-baby pack was launched in Lesotho and Zambia earlier this year and according to Charles Lyons, president of the Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation, a key partner in Lesotho, the southern African experience could provide valuable lessons for the programme in Kenya.

"Our experience in Lesotho is that focus should be on strengthening the capacity of health workers by training and thus increasing acceptability by them... Also community participation - which involves male participation - is critical in the success of the programme," he said.

The rollout of the mother-baby pack will run until mid-2011, during which time its acceptance by women, as well as the management of supply and distribution will be monitored. UNICEF's Lake noted that operational research would help determine gaps in the programme and how best to close those gaps.

Read more
 Support groups boosting PMTCT uptake
 Male clinics boost men's participation in PMTCT
 PMTCT could be key to cutting child mortality
 New PMTCT guidelines to save moms and babies
According to Jacqueline Odongo, an HIV-positive mother, reduction in stigma will be key to the success of the mother-baby pack.

"We must continue with efforts... that would make mothers not afraid of taking the packs - continuous persuasion of mothers that this is important for the health of their children and themselves is very important," she said.

The "Maisha MTCT-free Zone Initiative" will also involve the use of "mentor mothers" to support pregnant women living with HIV; a strategy for early infant diagnosis that includes the use of mobile phone short message service (SMS) technology; and encouraging pregnant women's male partners to get more involved.

ko/kr/ks


Theme(s): (PLUSNEWS) Children, (PLUSNEWS) HIV/AIDS (PlusNews), (PLUSNEWS) Prevention - PlusNews

[ENDS]

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
Print report Share |
Countries
FREE Subscriptions
Your e-mail address:


Submit your request
Socialize
 More on Kenya
02/Dec/2010
KENYA: Walking 26km for a condom
30/Nov/2010
KENYA: HIV prevention jeopardized by PM's call for arrest of gays
24/Nov/2010
HIV/AIDS: MSM groups hail pill to prevent HIV
18/Nov/2010
EAST AFRICA: CEOs lead by example, take public HIV tests
11/Nov/2010
KENYA: Exxxposed! A high-risk porn business
 More on Children
01/Dec/2010
HIV/AIDS: Looking forward to an AIDS-free generation
08/Nov/2010
KENYA: Need to reduce HIV risk among health workers
05/Nov/2010
SOUTH AFRICA: The difference AIDS makes to vulnerable children
02/Nov/2010
SOUTH AFRICA: Hospitals failing to treat HIV-positive infants
29/Oct/2010
SOUTH AFRICA: Clowning around boosts HIV-positive children
 Most Read 
SRI LANKA: Princey Mangalika: "My neighbours burned my house because they thought I had HIV"
SOUTH AFRICA: Nurses step into ART breach
SOUTH AFRICA: Sihle Motha, "You have this person's life in your hands"
HIV/AIDS: IRIN/PlusNews weekly news and analysis round-up Issue 516 for 17 December 2010
Back | Home page

Services:  Africa | Asia | Middle East | Film & TV | Photo | Radio | Live news map | E-mail subscription
Feedback · IRIN Terms & Conditions · Really Simple Syndication News Feeds · About PlusNews · Jobs · Donors

Copyright © IRIN 2010
This material comes to you via IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or its Member States. Republication is subject to terms and conditions as set out in the IRIN copyright page.